


Dearest Gaergalen

by Nairalin



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Letter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5251907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nairalin/pseuds/Nairalin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A letter from a Noldo to her telerin friend in the services of Círdan in which she explains him in parts her past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dearest Gaergalen

**Author's Note:**

> This was a task of the hungarian Tolkien Mailing Competition - Categorie Quendi, where we should write a description of our fictive home as a selfinsert as kinsman/-woman of one of the races in Tolkien's universe. I somehow ended up with writing a letter to an elvish friend :D 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this little text. If there are some errors in usage of time or wording, I would appreciate it if you could tell me. I'm a german native speaker. :)
> 
> My thanks to Quoth who was proofreading it.

My dearest Gaergalen,

You have wanted to know what my former home had looked like for a long time now. I have avoided the answer long enough even though you have kept asking the same questions in every letter for a while. I know it was not quite fair but the pain still lingers inside of me and remembering means to relive everything. 

But before I start to tell you about my former home, I want to answer the rest of your letter. 

It has been a while since we last saw each other and I am inconsolable that it will take another splinter of time till I am able to come to the coast. I hope you are fine? How have you fared, dear friend? And how is your family and your little daughter? The last time I have seen her she had not reached my hips. Have you been able to fulfil Círdan’s wish?  
The things and the book you asked for were put into the box in your office. I wanted to see you before I have to go, but unfortunately you had been gone shortly before. I am sorry for missing you by a few minutes. 

But I guess it is time to tell you of my home and my past …

My home had been in the east of Beleriand before the lands drowned at the end of the War of Wrath. Himlad it was called and I lived near the pass of Aglon, always serving Cundu Curufinwë when he needed me, as I was third in command, jokingly called his Left Hand by him. I lived in a house made of grey stone and an interior of sand coloured and off-white marble. Every room had a chimney with a hidden chamber for the firewood, because Himlad was a cold place where the wind always bit with ice-cold teeth. I never liked chaos and dirt, thus I always used storage rooms for everything to keep it tidy. 

Large windows would let in the light of Anar, and every window had a broad window sill to sit on comfortably. Gold-white curtains restrained the view from outside to the inside. I never liked to feel like in a fish bowl. I had flowers and plants to give my home a warm and vivid feeling. On days with clear weather I had been able to see till the river Celon in the south. 

The furniture with small pillows was mostly in light colours to let the rooms appear bigger than they were. I remember that my bedroom were kept in white and lavender hues and the room itself had a high ceiling. I had lamps and candles everywhere because I love the warm atmosphere of candlelight. I had shelves for my books as well as a small library on the east side of my house. The kitchen was open and in the same room as the dining room. My political position was a great advantage for me because my master, Curufinwë, granted me many benefits such as his help with embedding the cooker into the kitchen. It had been him who built the cooker and the fireplace. A gift for my loyalty and fealty. In the old days he used to be an often seen guest in my house. 

In my office there was a davenport covered in papers and documents. Bookcases covered most of the walls, filled with big folders and notebooks I had been using in the past to keep track of the business. 

Outside there were covered pavements and a small garden where I grew herbs and vegetables and some berries. Hard work for sure, as the sting of cold coming through pass of Aglon had been a great threat to the plants. There had been flower beds with roses, one of my favourite flowers. Some walls were painted and decorated. I preferred floral patterns, I still do. 

But all was lost so long ago in the fires of the Dagor Bragollach. I still see everything burn, even though in fact I was able to save the most important things. The pass of Aglon fell and with it Himlad in its cool beauty. 

The journey to Tol Sirion to Cundu Artaresto was a nightmare of a flight and it became even darker when we arrived and everything was already lost, too. Nargothrond had been the save haven for us before the human filth destroyed this home of ours again. I have followed my master till the end, I still would if I could. He was not insane, but his intentions had never been obvious to see for an outsider. 

Ossiriand, the next place where we dwelled, was beautiful but I never got the feeling of coming home. The same was true for Arvernien. 

And now I am here in Lindon the new kingdom of the young king of the line of Nolofinwë where we have met so long ago, Gaergalen. Soon I have to leave with Cundu Elerrondo who has founded a new hidden realm in the name of our High King, Artanáro Ereinion Gil-galad. 

The dream of building a house like the one I possessed in the old world is tempting, but I do not know if I would not set alight anew my grief over the loss of my master. I … I loved him I guess. His presence was breath taking like his cunning intellect. I am aware that your kin grudges him, and I know that you probably will not understand why I still think so highly of him. Curufinwë was special and most of the time – and I really believe that the bad reputation is a result of the propaganda of the former Doriathrim – a wise but misunderstood man. Everything he had done was turned and twisted in meaning and intention by those who needed a scapegoat. 

I am sure nothing will change the so public opinion. The Noldor are not all too many anymore and the majority of the Sindar who survived are former inhabitants of Doriath. I do know that Círdan sees more and is not judging us. Most of the Telir, his kin, are quite alike. But the Doriathrim are more dominant, and more stubborn and prouder than it can be good. They would never admit that they have wronged us. 

Anyway, I look forward to your reply and I hope that you will visit me someday in Imladris as Cundu Elerrondo called his realm. Please write back soon. It can be lonely with no friend by my side since I do not really know my companions.

All my love,  
Nairalin

**Author's Note:**

> As I prefer by far the Quenya names of our favourite elves here you find them and their Sindarin equivalents as well as the Quenya words I use in this context. 
> 
> [Qu.] Elerrondo = [Si.] Elrond Peredhel (I know there is a form of Elerondo which seems to be from Tolkien himself, but since there is a linguistic rule that n assimilates to the consonant which follows like Elemmíre or Elerríma eg. the correct form would be Elerrondo)  
> [Qu.] Artanáro = [Si.] Ereinion Gil-galad  
> [Qu.] Curufinwe = [Si.] Curufin  
> [Qu.] Artaresto = Orodreth  
> [Qu.] Cundu = prince
> 
> My own OCs:
> 
> Gaergalen = [Si.] green sea  
> Nairalin = [Qu.] song of the sun


End file.
